Washing-machine



Patented Oct. 28, 1890.

J E HARTMAN WASHING MACHINE.

(No Model.)

yww um Q UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES E. HARTMAN, OF COLLEGE SPRINGS, IOVA.

WASHING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 439,243, dated October28, 1890.

Application filed April 19, 1890. Serial No. 348,640. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JAMES E. HARTMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at College Springs, in the county of Page and State of Iowa,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Washing-Machines;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has relation to washing-machines, but more particularly tothat class in which the clothes are passed between corrugated rollersand corrugated boards; and my object is to produce a more eficient,serviceable, and convenient device than has heretofore been in use.

With this end in view my invention consists in certain peculiarities ofconstruction and combinations of parts more fully described hereinafter,and pointed out in the claim.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a top View of thestructure, and Fig. 2 a side elevation with the side of the tub or boxbroken away to show the interior.

The reference-letterA represents the tub or box for containing theclothes, being mounted on suitable legs a, and provided with a cover B.The tub is lined with a suitable material andits bottom slopes at eitherend, as seen at b, so that all the water can be drawn off through theoutlet 0 in the bottom of the front side of the tub.

Tlie rollers D and E are mounted in the opposite ends of a frame fittingwithin the tub.

between the long sides thereof, and consisting of the side bars F andcross-pieces G, connecting them intermediate of the rollers. Bothrollers are corrugated lengthwise, and the ribs cl of the roller D aremade straight, while the ribs 6 of the roller E have a spiral form, aswill be seen more clearly in Fig. l.

The shaft H, on which the smaller roller D is mounted, simply extendsinto the side bars of the frame, thus leaving the lower end of the framefree; but the shaft I of the larger roller E passes through said sidebars and into the sides of the box, thus also constituting a pivot forthe frame. The roller E is rigidly mounted on this shaft I, and one endthe board in proper position.

of the latter extends through the side of the tub and is bent up to forma crank-arm J,

large roller, and this motion will-be imparted to the smaller onethrough the medium of the ropes K, which pass around both rollers andwork in peripheral grooves L in the same. These ropes are preferablythree in number, and each one has attached to it a number of loops M, inwhich pieces of clothes are fastened, to be carried around. Behind thelarger roller is situated a wash-board N, having a corrugated face 0,and pivoted by means of its legs P to the base of the sides of the tub,as seen at p in Fig. 2. A coil-spring Q is interposed between the backof this board and the end piece of the tub, and will thus give the boarda spring-pressure against the roller, and hence allow it to adjustitself to material passing between them. The spring is supported'andheld in proper position by means of transverse strips R S, secured tothe board and tub, respectively, the strip S being provided with adepression or groove 3, in which the end of the spring drops. It willthus be seen that the spring is readily removable. Beneath the smallerroller a loose wash-board T is placed, which rests upon the bottom ofthe tub, and is provided with end pieces U, bearing against the end ofthe tub to keep then have free access to rub the clothes be tween it andthis loose board, and will adjust itself to the material passingthrough. As it has been previously stated, the lower end of the frame isfree of the tub, and can move up or down on its pivot I. A furtheradvantagc o f this arrangement is that if the clothes become' caughtunderneath or the loose board slips from its place the frame can beelevated to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, and thusaccess gained to the bottom of the tub, which is advantageous for diversreasons.

The operation will now be apparent, and needs but little description.The pieces of clothes to be washed will be attached in the loops M,secured to the ropes K, and the cover shut, when the crank will beturned and the clothes thus carried around between the two rollers andtheir respective boards and rubbed through between them, it beingunderstood that water has been previously introduced into the tub. Whenthe clothes have been sufiiciently treated, the roller-frame can bethrown up and the pieces removed and others substituted. Thus a simpleand convenient structure is produced, which at the same time iseflicient in its working and thoroughly rubs and cleans the clothes in ashort space of time, as they pass successively from one set of rubbersto another.

It is evident that my device might be varied in many slight ways whichmight suggest themselves to a skilled mechanic, and hence I do not wishto confine myself to the precise construction and arrangement hereinshown, but consider myself entitled to all such slight variations ascome within the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

In a washing-machine, the combination of a frame contained within theclothes-receptacle, a pivot extending through said frame and journaledin the sides of said receptacle, a corrugated roller rigid on saidpivot, a washboard pivoted back of said roller and havingspring-pressure against it, a stationary washboard on the bottom of thereceptacle, a gravitating corrugated roller mounted in the opposite endof said pivoted frame directly above said stationary wash-board andadapted to rest upon it, and suitable connections between the tworollers for carrying the clothes around them, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES E. HARTMAN.

W'itnesses:

L. G. PRIOHARD, G. F. BOWERS.

